Faith and Fear--Mark 5

From the Preacher's Desk: Faith and Fear

If you are following the January Bible Reading Challenge, then this past Thursday you should have read from Mark 5.  On his way to heal the daughter of Jairus, a ruler of a synagogue, Jesus encountered yet another person in need of help.  A woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years decided that enough was enough, and she was ready to do something about her terrible situation.  But what to do?  She had no money, for she had already spent all she had trying to get better.  She had been to doctors who had run tests and had even tried experimental treatments, but she just kept getting worse and worse.  Jesus was her last hope.  But how to get help from him?

Herein, though, lies the first twist to the story.  This woman, whose name we do not even know, did not look to Jesus in desperation.  As a matter of fact, as she thought about what to do, she never said "maybe," as in "maybe Jesus can do something," or "maybe I can get a little better."  No, if her hope in Jesus was a hope of desperation, she would have stopped Jesus in the middle of the street and probably acted kind of like Naaman did with Elisha, thinking Jesus should call upon the name of God, wave his hands around, and put on a show.  Instead, this humble, faith-full woman said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well" (Mark 5:28 NKJV).  The only "maybe" she had was wondering whether or not she would be able to do what she needed to do!

There was nothing at all wrong with her faith.  As a matter of fact, Jesus would proclaimed to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well" (Mark 5:34).  His power healed her, but through her faith.  Or I suppose you could just as well say that her faith healed her, but through His power.  Regardless, without her faith, determination, and action she would not have been healed.  And herein lies the second twist to the story, for with the woman's faith came a measure of fear.  She wasn't afraid because she had gotten what she needed, that is, because she had been healed, nor was she afraid that she had done something wrong, but her faith had brought with it a measure of accountability.  She knew what she had done and she knew what her faith had done.  Now, because of her faith and because her faith worked, it was time for that faith to be brought out into the open.  And I don't care who you are, that can be a little bit frightening.

Faith is going to bring some fear.  There will be times when you are going to fear that you do not have enough faith.  When that happens, are you willing to ask?  The disciples would tell Jesus, "Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5).  In Mark 9: 24, the father of a child possess with a devil is going to tell Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  Don't let fear keep you from asking.  Too often, though, it is not faith in God that is lacking, but faith in your ability to act upon your faith that is lacking.  As with this woman, it is not Divine power that you are afraid will fall short, but your own power.  It is entirely likely that this woman was terrified from start to finish, but she did it.  James says that if any lack wisdom, let him ask for it, but with this caveat: "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting!" (James 1:5-6a).  How will you do that?  The Hebrews writer says you have to run your own race, but keep looking to Jesus to get you through (Hebrews 12:1-2).

What happens when your faith is there, your strength to act is there, it all comes together as it should, and your faith has worked?  Very rarely will this be the end of your fear, or the end of your need for faith.  This woman's faith and fear led her to falling down at the feet of Jesus and confessing what she had done.  What started out as a humble action on her part was brought before the entire crowd!  Her faith now had the opportunity to impact everyone who was there and even you today as you read about her.  Faith working will often bring with it the chance for even more to be done, and faith working will very rarely be an end of any story, but will be the opening of doors for many other opportunities.

Don't be afraid of those opportunities.  The story in Mark 5 ends with Jesus telling this woman, "Go in peace" (vs. 34).  Where did she go?  What did she do?  Whose faith was helped because she had let her faith overcome her fears?  Faith has gotten you to where you are today, will bring you to where you need to be--if you let it, and will allow you to depart in peace to where you need to go next--again, if you let it.  So let your faith work, let the fears that may come with your faith be overcome, and get ready to go in peace.

Dogs Will Be Dogs

I love my old dog.  We got her as a pup almost 11 years ago.  Now she has arthritis, is overweight, has battled cancer, and is almost deaf.  She still enjoys going for rides and barking at squirrels, but now she does it at a much slower pace.  She has basically raised our children and thinks of herself as one of the family.  She loves to go pick the kids up from school, loves to sleep by my bed (or under my desk during the day), she knows when it is time for the kids to come home, and she gets upset when one of them spends the night away.  We think of her as part of the family, too.

Sometimes we forget, but she is still a dog.  The other day I let her go to the dumpster with me (another of her favorite past times).  Usually she trots alongside, sniffing constantly to see who has been around.  But not that day.  That day she took off out of the gate like a shot and ran straight to the neighbors.  She stopped just outside the chain of the neighbor's Rottweiler, turned, and marked her spot.  Then as the other dog was sniffing that spot, she ran inside the chain and did it again, right in the middle of the other dog's territory.  I ran over there yelling for her to come.  I would like to think she did not hear me but I am afraid she chose not to in this instance.  Finally, brazen as can be with head held high, she trotted back over to me with a smug look of satisfaction on her little doggy face.

All I can say is, dogs will be dogs.

Jeremiah uses the example of a leopard's inability to change its spots to illustrate the inability of the Jews to change their ways (Jeremiah 13:23).  Peter uses the illustration of a dog turning to its vomit and a clean pig rolling in the mud to show how some will turn from the truth and go back to their old sinful ways (2 Peter 2:20-22).  It is very frustrating when people take these passages and try to justify sinfulness, rebellion, or worldliness.  They try to make you think that they just can't help it, that they were born that way, or even that they weren't ever saved to begin with!

Here's the problem with that.  You aren't a dog.  If you are a Christian, you are not even that old person any longer.  Paul speaks of putting to death those old things (Colossians 3:5).  He speaks of rising to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).  The old man is gone.  Long live the new man (Colossians 3:10)!  You have been given the choice.  Too many today want to hang on to or in some cases to even resurrect that old man. However, you have got to move on and leave that old man behind.

A dog will always be a dog.  You must always be you.

If you could build a god....

If you could build a god….

If you could build a god, when would you build it?  Would you wait until you were in trouble?  Would it be done in a panic?

If you could build a god, what would you have your god feel?  Would it be insensitive or would you rather it be caring?  Would you build a god that listened to you anytime, anywhere?

If you could build a god, what would you have your god do?  Would you have a god of randomness or purpose?  Would you have a god of action or of inaction?

If you could build a god, what would you call it?  Would you choose a name that inspires terror?  Would you call it by what it was capable of doing?

If you could build a god, where would you keep it?  Would you keep it close to you or out of sight?  Would you lock it away somewhere safe?  Would you make it accessible to others or keep it to yourself?

If you could build a god, would you build the one you already have?

Jehovah God doesn’t have to be created.  As a matter of fact, He is eternal in His nature.  He is the God of creation (Genesis 1:1), the God of the fathers (Exodus 3:6), and the God of all flesh (Acts 17:25).  There has never been a time when He did not exist, nor will His existence ever cease.  Abraham at Beersheba “called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God” (Genesis 21:33).  Moses wrote, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psalm 90:2).  Who needs to create a God when One already exists?

One of the traits that people look for most in others is listening.  People like people who will hear them when they speak.  That same characteristic is one of Jehovah God’s greatest attributes.  “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).  Jehovah God is already listening and already cares (1 Peter 5:7)!

Too often we find ourselves reacting to situations.  All too frequently we are looking for solutions to problems that crop up from day to day.  Let’s face it: it is difficult to address problems that we don’t even know exist.  How many times through history has God been on top of things while man was still trying to figure out what had gone wrong?  For example, God heard the cries of the Israelites in Egypt and sent Moses as a deliver.  The biggest problem of all however is sin, and God has been working on that from the beginning (Genesis 3:15).  Isaiah prophesied of the deliverance that God would provide (Isaiah 9:1-2).  The whole scheme of redemption was a result of God’s action when man was still trying to figure out what the problem was (Romans 5:8).  How much more proactive could God be than to send His only begotten Son to die for us?

As you look at the Bible you come will come to realize that the names of God within the Scriptures are actually a collection of His attributes.  One of those names, however, stands out more than any other.  “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14).  At this point we begin to realize that we did not name God: He did.  Because of that, His name is to be honored and revered (Psalm 111:9).  In the Ten Commandments God said, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).  Jehovah God already has a name and He cherishes it dearly.  It is not a name to be taken or used lightly.

You don’t have to worry about where to keep Jehovah God.  “Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:23-24).  This characteristic of God is often called “omnipresence,” describing His ability to be not just anywhere at any time, but everywhere all the time.  We don’t have to worry about losing Jehovah God or having Him stolen away.  On the contrary our greatest concern should be going away from Him.  “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).

If you could build a god, would you build the one you already have?  Jehovah God cannot be replaced or surpassed.  He can, however, be ignored, misused, and blasphemed.  You will never be able to make a god whose love is greater, whose forgiveness is wider, or whose care is as deep.  Don’t try to improve on perfection!  Keep the God you have!

The day I almost quit preaching

I know it has been quite a while since I have blogged, but I have decided to get back into it.

This is the true story of the day I almost quit preaching.  I know it was on a Wednesday afternoon in July, but I can't tell you what year.  I think it was 2007, but I'm not sure.  Anyway, I had been to South Georgia Medical Center to visit one of our members.  This Christian lady was both, through and through: a Christian and quite a lady.  As a matter of fact, I don't think she ever knew this side of eternity just how much she meant to me.  I had spent about 2 hours that day in her hospital room just talking to her.  Even though she was in the hospital and was suffering from a variety of ailments, I left her room so encouraged.  We hadn't talked about anything special. She had not said or done anything special.  She was just being herself: a Christian lady.

As I left the hospital and was walking through the parking lot I was overwhelmed emotionally.  There I was, "the preacher."  I was supposed to be doing the encouraging, yet I was the one leaving encouraged and consoled.  I finally decided that the emotion I was experiencing was guilt.  The reason for the guilt was not that I had done anything wrong, quite the contrary.  All that I had done as "the preacher" was what I could have-would have-SHOULD have done as a Christian.  Why should I, "the preacher," be special, feel special, or be viewed any differently from any other Christian?  Half the members at Airport made (and make) hospital visits, send cards, bring food, and do any number of little things that no one ever sees.  Just who did I think I was?  I walked away that day with the realization that I did not have to be "the preacher" because I was not doing anything that I would not have been doing otherwise.

That day helped to emphasize to me that being a Christian is as much or more about the little things we do.  Being a Christian isn't about recognition, but it is about being recognized.  A true Christian is going to act like one just as much on Monday as they do on Sunday.  A true Christian is going to act like one whether they are the one in the hospital bed or they are the one sitting in the chair by the bed.  A true Christian isn't going to have to tell anyone with their mouth, because their actions are going to show it.

Well, obviously I didn't quit preaching.  But in this age of budgets, resumes, and committee meetings, I have come to change my "job description," at least in my mind.  I am not "the preacher," just honored to try to be a full-time Christian who happens to stand in the pulpit.

Road Tripping with the Chorus

To make a short story long, the church at Stuart, FL has supported Georgia Christian School for many years.  Several months ago, Deland decided the chorus needed to go down there and tell them thanks.  A date was set; a date was changed; but finally, the date arrived.  On Saturday morning, 22 members of the chorus, Deland, Bonnie, and Jim set off in the bus, with Stacy, Emma Jean, and me following (we were transporting the risers).  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful drive, and we arrived in Stuart about 5:00 that afternoon.  The reason that I had been tagged to go along was because I had gone to Stuart and spoken last summer for their Vacation Bible School, and the preacher there, Terry Frizzell, is one of my lifelong friends.  The chorus did a wonderful job, but more importantly, they represented the school very well.  Afterwards, we had a time of fellowship (meaning food) and fun.  I am sure that the first impression of Randall Hunter, the youth minister there ("this guy is a complete idiot" -- ha ha) was changed in retrospect ("this guy is brilliant"), for he did a magnificent job of bringing the many cultures present together, both young and old alike.  Yes, his games were corny, but everyone not only participated, they all had a good time.

When I was in Stuart last summer, I came home and told everyone who would listen that if you want to see a church which knows the meaning of the word "hospitality," Stuart is the place to go.  They did not let me down.

On Sunday morning, Deland spoke about Georgia Christian during the Bible class hour.  A lot of Deland's passion for the school comes from literally generations of association.  I am afraid that many take the school for granted, and it is even possible that sometimes the word "Christian" in its name is added as an afterthought as people get wrapped up in the daily grind.  But Deland's presentation served as a vivid reminder that while "school" can be found almost anywhere, "Christian" is a rare commodity, indeed.

As plans were being made for the trip, we kept looking at the map and looking at the clock, and we realized that the possibility of making it back to Dasher in time for worship services was going to be marginal at best.  So, we called upon our friends at the Lake City Church of Christ.  They were not only agreeable to us stopping there for worship, they presented the opportunity for the chorus to sing there, as well.  Again, the chorus members did an excellent job of representing the school.  We thank Lake City for their hospitality and for the wonderful meal they threw together for us, as well.  (I say "threw together" because the congregation was not aware of our coming until Sunday morning.)

It was a special weekend for me, because I had the opportunity to spend time with two of my dearest friends, Terry Frizzell and Ryan Tuten, who preaches at Lake City.  But really, that almost became a side note to the weekend, for I spent considerably more time renewing the acquaintances of Christian friends I have made over the years within those two cities.  I was reminded of the deep bond that is shared in the blood of Christ, and I believe we all need such a reminder from time to time.

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God" (1 John 4:7).

With One Accord

From the Preacher's Desk:

In the earliest picture of the church, the Christians are described as such: "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart" (Acts 2:46). It is important to us to have this image of the church, for it gives us an intimation of what the church was feeling, what the church was doing, and what the church was expecting. With that in mind, we can see what the church today should be feeling, doing, and expecting.

The key not only to this verse, but to the complete aura surrounding the early church, is the phrase "with one accord." If there should be a common goal of the church in this or any age, it should be to conduct ourselves about the Lord's business "with one accord." It is very sad indeed that much of the division within the church today is a direct result of failing to ask, "What does God desire?" and "What is best for God's kingdom?" When one examines the early church, it becomes evident that Paul was not alone in expressing the sentiment of Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live…." Being a Christian in any age requires an emptying of one's self, setting aside one's own desires to the accomplishing of the will of God. When you look around at the turmoil of our present day, it might seem an impossible task. However, if we will but do as the early church did, it can be done. "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul…" (Acts 2:42-43). There is our recipe for success.

To me, this is a rather curious verse, because there are two phrases within this one passage that have to do with eating. Why is this so, and to what was Luke referring?

The first phrase, "and breaking bread from house to house," uses words similar to that of the Lord's Supper. To the Hebrews, "breaking bread" was an hospitable gesture of intimacy and friendship. (Their bread was commonly thin, hard, and brittle, making it difficult to cut.) I realize this is not a perfect example, but think having an old friend come to town to visit, and taking them to a nice restaurant to eat. But this is the intimacy behind the idea.

It should be evident from this how great is the symbolic important of the unleavened bread in the Lord Supper. This intimacy and friendship is shared between Christians and the Lord every first day of the week in this breaking of bread.

However, in Acts 2:46, Luke does not seem to be referring to the Lord's Supper. He carries this picture of closeness and familiarity into every home of every Christian. This was being done "from house to house."

The second phrase, "did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart," implies to us even more than that. This was not a special hospitality being shown, but a common meal! The word translated as "meat" means provisions or rations and refers to their sustenance. The implication is that such wonderful feelings of hospitality and unity did not stop at the temple; they did not stop with the obvious situations of fellowship; they extended to the day-to-day activities of these Christians, even to the most basic requirements of living. But let us notice one more aspect of this: they were doing so together with gladness and singleness of heart. They were happy to do such and happy because they were doing such. Their unity in purpose, love, and hope allowed them to be one in all things.

Do you remember the phrase that was touted about a couple of years ago? "The family that prays together stays together." Could not, should not this principle be applied to the church? Where do our feelings of oneness with the church cease? Do they stop at the "temple"? (Sadly, with some, it would seem that those feelings never even make it into the place of worship.) Do those feelings stop with our obvious exhibitions of communion and fellowship with one another? Or do they extend to our day-to-day lives as common servants of the Most High God?

Let us awaken each new day with the desire and intent of being "with one accord." The blueprint for unity is before us. Do we really desire to build?

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

(Ephesians 4:1-3)

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